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2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 F10 Technical Topics Engine, Transmission, Exhaust, Drivetrain, ECU Software Modifications AR Design catted DP for F10 535xi: install notes and review
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      05-20-2019, 02:16 PM   #1
burro_blasta
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AR Design catted DP for F10 535xi: install notes and review

Infamouscrew02 did a great job with his DIY so I'm just posting "notes" on some things that stuck out to me.

(Infamouscrew02's DIY: https://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1296547)

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with the installation. I was concerned that 535 AWD (no DIYs) was going to be a bigger headache than RWD (where I could find DIYs) but it wasn't. There was plenty of room to get the DPs in/out, and we didn't run into anything I was worried about:

- no need to lower the subframe (like I had read about for 335 xdrives)
- no need to drop the rest of the exhaust (which someone had posted in a DIY for 535)
- no need to go through the passenger wheel well to get to the turbo/DP v-clamp bolt, but you need a meaty ratchet extension setup: we used two ~12" extensions plus a swivel socket head


Prep:
- a lift would be awesome, but not bad with just jack stands because we had creepers to slide around on
- we removed the front (wider) and mid (longer) belly pans, engine cover and also the intake tube to get to the o2 sensor clips. someone on here said there's no need to remove more than the engine cover, but my buddy handled this part and he went ahead and took the tube off because he thought it was just going to be easier. *shrug*

Removing stock DP:
- be prepared for the usual exhaust rust/stuck/brittle bolts. Use blaster spray. Be prepared for a mounting bolt to break, which happened to one of mine but luckily we had another good-enough bolt laying around. Overall getting the midpipe clamp and DP mounting bolts loose was the biggest pain of the whole project by far.
- also be prepared to have a few wrench/ratchet/socket sets on hand in different lengths to make sure you can access the bolts.
- top mount bolt (closest to turbo) was really hard to get to. Not a lot of room for the wrench to swing, and you need a short wrench to fit up in there in the first place. It was one of those where we fought it for awhile, got back out from under the car, shook our heads hopelessly, and thought we were going to have to disassemble a ton of $hit to get to it. We ended up taking off the o2 sensor that was in the way of it (easy) and then putting electrical tape on the wrench so it'd hang on the bolt on its own, lining up a bar against the wrench, hammering the other end of the bar, then finally it loosened up.
- the mid pipe has a lot of play in it, so you can push it back quite a few inches in order to wiggle the DP loose.

Installing new DP:
- taking out the stock DP took about 1.5 hours, installing the new about a half hour (or longer including putting the belly pans back on etc)
- my catted DP was slimmer than the stock, so it was even easier to reach up to everything
- since that top mount was such a pain to get to, we tack welded the bolt to the mount so we only had to feed the nut onto the bolt once the DP was in place.

AR Design Catted DP Review:
I've only been driving on it for two days so this is more of a "first impressions" than review. I'm on MHD Stage 1, BMS Intake, VRSF CP, BMS Pedal Tune...the sound difference is very very subtle. If someone installed this without telling me I wouldn't have noticed until driving for a few minutes. I notice a deeper bass when idling sometimes. My wife was in the car yesterday and she didn't notice a difference at all. I might be stretching, but I think I feel a better throttle response. I'm super happy about all of that, since the only reason I added a DP was to open up more tuning potential. The AR DP itself was a beautiful piece of work, and, as usual, Mike at x-ph.com was super fast with helpful responses to my questions and the shipping was crazy fast.
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      05-23-2019, 03:14 PM   #2
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AWESOME! should've taken some pictures during the install. i'm debating to do this myself or pay a shop to do it. i'm surprised you don't hear much of a difference when other's have noted a significant increase in db's. but than again are flooring it?
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      05-24-2019, 12:40 PM   #3
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I started taking a couple pics then realized that I wasn't showing anything that you couldn't see if you crawled under the car...even with the belly pans on, if you go under with a flashlight you should be able to see all the bolts, O2 sensors, even all the way up to the turbo clamp. If you're still debating, I'd start by taking a look and seeing what you think...I didn't look ahead of time because I thought everything would be covered up like some other models, def not the case for us.

I wouldn't have done it on my own in my poorly equipped garage, but it wasn't a big deal in my engineer buddy's garage with a bunch of ratchet extensions and wrench sizes, and jack stands and creepers. I can do a CP or intake on my own, maybe FMIC (we'll find out soon) but I wouldn't do the DP without a good set up.

I'm still surprised about the lack of sound difference. Been on the highway and logged a couple pulls and didn't notice any crazy difference at WOT either. I still think the throttle response is slightly better, I actually turned down the setting on my BMS Pedal Tune a bit.

If you DIY, PM me and I'm happy to give you my number if you want to have an extra person to call if you get stuck.
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      05-24-2019, 06:30 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by burro_blasta View Post
I started taking a couple pics then realized that I wasn't showing anything that you couldn't see if you crawled under the car...even with the belly pans on, if you go under with a flashlight you should be able to see all the bolts, O2 sensors, even all the way up to the turbo clamp. If you're still debating, I'd start by taking a look and seeing what you think...I didn't look ahead of time because I thought everything would be covered up like some other models, def not the case for us.

I wouldn't have done it on my own in my poorly equipped garage, but it wasn't a big deal in my engineer buddy's garage with a bunch of ratchet extensions and wrench sizes, and jack stands and creepers. I can do a CP or intake on my own, maybe FMIC (we'll find out soon) but I wouldn't do the DP without a good set up.

I'm still surprised about the lack of sound difference. Been on the highway and logged a couple pulls and didn't notice any crazy difference at WOT either. I still think the throttle response is slightly better, I actually turned down the setting on my BMS Pedal Tune a bit.

If you DIY, PM me and I'm happy to give you my number if you want to have an extra person to call if you get stuck.
AWESOME! i'll have to tinker and get under the car and take a look. but i'll kindly keep you in mind if I decide to tackle this on. if I can do a full lift suspension on my truck, I should be able to do a damn DP lol!
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      05-25-2019, 02:06 PM   #5
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Haha yea you'll be fine, I'm an amateur. Took a buddy for a spin last night, cold start is more noticeable but after that he was also shocked how quiet the exhaust is
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      05-25-2019, 09:41 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by burro_blasta View Post
Haha yea you'll be fine, I'm an amateur. Took a buddy for a spin last night, cold start is more noticeable but after that he was also shocked how quiet the exhaust is
I forgot but what kind of exhaust are you running and is it a catback?
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      05-25-2019, 10:38 PM   #7
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      05-27-2019, 02:53 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by burro_blasta View Post
Stock
probably why you don't notice much of an exhaust note at all
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      05-27-2019, 07:17 PM   #9
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Yea still thought an aftermarket DP would be louder, even catted, based on whatever I'd read but happy that's not the case
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      05-30-2019, 02:25 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by burro_blasta View Post
Yea still thought an aftermarket DP would be louder, even catted, based on whatever I'd read but happy that's not the case
I never heard catted high flow dps but catless does make the exhaust sound louder. I installed MPE exhaust and was completely disappointed by it. But when I installed catless dp it put a smile on my face lol.
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